RUSTON, La. -
With exactly three weeks until the start of the 2013 season, Wade Simoneaux and the Bulldog baseball team hit the field Friday for the first official practice of the new year, despite some soggy conditions on the diamond.

The Bulldogs weathered dreary conditions and hit the ground running in preparation for the team's first series of the 2013 campaign, a three-game non-conference road matchup against UT Arlington beginning at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15.

After notching a 27-28 record in 2012 and a 7-11 mark in conference play, Simoneaux and his Bulldogs were eager to take the field and jumpstart the new season.

"For the first day of practice, we came out here and got the guys out on the grass and dirt and got them used to some situations during batting practice," Simoneaux said. "The next three days we will intrasquad with the rain coming in on Tuesday.

"The guys were excited just to put pants on. We've been in shorts in December and January. We kind of did that on purpose and they put their practice pants on today and had a little hop in their step and did a good job today."

Twenty-three upperclassmen and 21 letterwinners highlight this year's roster, and with 10 seniors and 13 juniors, Simoneaux is entering his 11th season at the helm of the program with his most experienced squad to date.

The Bulldogs will face plenty of challenges ahead as the Bulldogs are set to battle six teams that made the NCAA Baseball Tournament in 2012 in a combined 21 games scheduled this coming season against those teams, 11 of those to take place on Tech's home field in Ruston. Those six teams include mid-week matchups against Baylor and Rice, as well as series against UT Arlington, New Mexico State, Dallas Baptist and Oral Roberts.

Playing a total of 56 games, Tech will play host to 30 games and eight home series in 2013, five of those being Western Athletic Conference contests, including marquee matchups against Nebraska, who hosted Tech last season, Oral Roberts and Stephen F. Austin at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

Tech will open its home schedule Feb. 22-24 when the Golden Eagles from Oral Roberts, another team that made an NCAA Regional appearance in 2012, visit J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park for a three-game series.

The Bulldogs will continue to hold team practices, workouts and intrasquads in the weeks leading up to the season in order to be ready for opening day in Arlington, Texas.

Season tickets for the upcoming season are available now and can be purchased by calling the Tech Ticket Office at 318-257-3631, emailing techtickets@latech.edu or logging on to www.LATechSports.com.

For complete coverage of LA Tech baseball, follow @LATechBSB on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech athletics at www.LATechSports.com.